Ninja Gets Flamed After Slamming NFL Kickers Who Miss Kicks

When it comes to opinions on the performance of professional athletes, everyone has them. That includes professional streamers like Ninja.

The incredibly popular Fortnite streamer, whose real name is Tyler Blevins is apparently not just a video game enthusiast. He’s also a football fan.

Granted, it doesn’t appear he’s a particularly big fan of kickers. The position has taken its fair share of abuse over the years.

There’s a long-standing, pre-internet meme about how neither kickers or punters are athletes. This is born from the fact that their only job is to kick or punt the ball. They don’t play offense or defense and college and NFL rules prohibit opposing players from hitting them, outside of very rare circumstances.

Ninja took to Twitter on Saturday to offer up his own disdain for kickers. The internet did not take it all that well.

“I’ll never understand how college and NFL football teams allow kickers that just…. miss… kicks. I feel like there has to be pools of kickers in the USA that won’t miss simple kicks. Or snappers that won’t mess the snaps idk man it seems so SILLY. Would love opinions on this.”

While he said he asked for opinions, it became clear quickly he wasn’t ready for the response.

Quite a few of his followers, including some well-known industry people were off-put by his take.

pic.twitter.com/X1ixDf3Vqi

— Alanah Pearce (@Charalanahzard) December 1, 2019

One user tried to get Ninja to understand why his take was off the mark, by using Fortnite as an example saying, “just like people miss shots in Fortnite. Kicks and snaps are the same way.”

Dude c'mon. Yes, they have one job, but having 280lb dudes bearing down on you in front of 70k people screaming at you while many many more are watching on TV? One could say similar things about free throwing in basketball, or anything videogame/sport related!

— Cliff Bleszinski (@therealcliffyb) November 30, 2019

Others, such as Cliff Bleszinski of Gears of War fame, and Mitch Dyer were more succinct.

Swing and a miss, my dude.

— Mitch Dyer (@MitchyD) November 30, 2019

While Ninja originally fought back against those who argued against him, he has since deleted the original tweet. It appears he’s either seen the error of his ways, or got tired of getting flamed for his take.